Question: Last Monday, Gabriela's parents gave birth to twins and named them Ashley and Brandon. When they were first born, Ashley weighed 8.59 pounds, and Brandon weighed 7.25 pounds. How much did the babies weigh in total?
Answer: To find the weights of the 2 babies, we need to add their weights together. Ashley's weight + Brandon's weight = total weight. ${8}$ ${5}$ ${9}$ ${7}$ ${2}$ ${5}$ ${+\vphantom{0}}$ ${4}$ ${8}$ ${5}$ ${1}$ Together, the babies weigh 15.84 pounds.